Welcome to our guide for migrants
For the migrant to the UK it is a daunting task to understand how the various parts of UK government all fit together and which departments cover what activities.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) controls your entry into the UK and dictates whether you can work or study here.
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) gives you some welfare benefits such as Tax credits and Child Benefit and at the same time collects the main taxes. People of any nationality coming to the UK and setting up as self-employed must register with them.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the main department which gives out welfare benefits and helps you into work. People of any nationality have to apply for a National Insurance number (a NINO) once they are seeking work or commencing self-employment . This involves an interview with the Jobcentre Plus part of the DWP.
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) sets the main law for how workers should be treated.
Local Authorities (sometimes called Local Councils) are local to where you live and collect local taxes but also give out some benefits and arrange housing.
When you contact a government department, it is usually possible to ask them to provide a translator to speak with you in your own language.
What you can find in the Migrants section of our website
In this part of our website we are primarily concentrating on the migrant to the UK, although we do consider briefly the position of those who are moving abroad temporarily or for retirement.
Migrants to the UK have to deal with many aspects of life in the UK which are new to them. But before you can get down to understanding the tax system it is vital to ensure Your right to be in the UK.
The two primary reasons that migrants come to the UK are to work or to study. The primary tax and related problem areas are covered in our sections on Coming to the UK to work and Coming to the UK to study.
For those already in the UK and who leave for short periods usually do so to work, so we cover the topic of Working abroad temporarily.
There are more than a million people receiving UK State pensions who live permanently outside the UK and how you are taxed in the UK in those circumstances is discussed in Retiring abroad.
Sometimes if you do not agree with HMRC or you have been badly treated, you will want to appeal or complain and our section Appeals and complaints will help you to do that.
If you do not understand a particular word or expression you may get help from our glossary of tax terms under What do we mean by....?
If you need a quick summary of current tax and national insurance rates we have set these out in Tax and NIC rates.
Many people are baffled by the questions that HMRC ask, so we have provided some help in our Understanding HMRC forms guide.
Sometimes it is helpful to have the computer do the hard work and provide you with a calculation of some sort so we scour the internet for those that we think might be most helpful and provide descriptions in our Calculators section.
We have also included a section on Council tax and business rates outlining the rules and looking at the special reliefs available
Finally, if you do not think we have covered what you wanted to know or you would like to tell us of your experiences so that we might learn and try to get things changed then please do contact us.
Throughout this site we can only offer general guidance on tax topics and you should always obtain specific advice before taking any action.
